Hughes 369A accident near Wadesboro, North Carolina, July 3, 2001
On July 3, 2001 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Hughes 369A (helicopter), registered N539, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wadesboro, North Carolina (Anson County Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent loss of engine power. A factor was rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2001 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Wadesboro, North Carolina · Anson County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369A · all 369As on the register
- Registration
- N539 · no longer on the register · serial 38-0383
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on approach the helicopter lost engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot autorotated into a plowed field with tall grass and deep furrows damaging the left skid. The pilot stated that while landing the helicopter it began to nose over and he applied aft cyclic separating the tailboom with the main rotor blades. Examination of the helicopter found that the fuel tanks were void of fuel, and that the fuel quantity probe was stuck indication 50 pounds of fuel remaining.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 15, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,346 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 22, 2001; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C10D (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFP Wadesboro NC at 7:40 pm
- Destination: Wadesboro NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 350, 3,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from RDU, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.